NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 141, 11 December 1929, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS

'(BY "VEDETTE.")

RACING FIXTURES.

Dec 11, 12.—Woodvlllo Dist. J.C. Dec 14.—Waipa ilt.C. Dec. 18, 19.— Etiiont It.C. Dec 20.—Waipi/.urau J.C. Dec 20.—Westljad R.C. Dec. 20, 27.—Taranaki J.C. Dec. 20, 28.—Dunedin J.C. Dec. 20, 27, 28.—JIanawatu R.C. Dec. 26, 30. Jan. 1, 2.—Auckland E.C. Dec 2S. Jail. I.—GrejinoutU J.C. 1930. Jan. I.—WalKouaM R.C. Jan. I.—Wyndham tt.C. Jan. 1, 2.—Walrarapa B.C. Jan. 1, 2.—Hawkes Bay J.C. Jan. 1, 2.—Stratford E.C. Jan. 7, B.—Keefton J.C. Reminders. Nominations for the Marton Meeting are due on Friday, at 9 p.m. Handicaps for the Manawatu and Dunedin Meetings close on Friday. Acceptances for the Egmont Racing Club's Meeting close on Friday, at 8.30 p.m. W. Duncan's Injury. The leading Victorian jockey W. Duncan had a bad fall recently, and apparently his recovery from the effects of the accident is not going to be so rapid as expected. X-ray examinations prove that the injuries are far more serious than was at first supposed. Duncan has one vertebrae in the neck broken and another dislocated. An operation to remove the dislocation proved only partly successful, and he was operated on again last week. The result was not known when the last mail left Australia. It is considered possible that Duncan will not be able to ride again, but nothing definite will be known until further X-ray examination has been made. A Creditable Record. Since coming from Marlborough to campaign the North Island, with a flying visit to Riecarton thrown in, the team, under the care of R. Alexander, has had a great innings. The record reads as follows:— Masterton—Rabbi won Cup. Trentham— Rabbi second in Wellington Handicap; Imateagirl third in Spring Trial Stakes. Carterton—Dancing Star second in Trial Stakes; Make Up won Carrington Highweight Handicap; Rabbi won Wairarapa County Cup; Imateagirl won Taratahi Hack Handicap. Ricearton—lmateagirl ■won Apprentices' Handicap; Eabbi won Metropolitan; Imateagirl third in Hagley Handicap; Make Up second in Ashley Handicap; Make Up third in Seymour Handicap; Rabbi, second in Fendalton Handicap. Feilding—Rabbi -won Feilding Jubilee Cup; Make Up won Kowhai Hack Handicap. Sprints at Ellerslie. The entries for the sprint events to be decided on the later days at Ellerslie suggest that there will be a big weeding out when acceptances are taken for the Railway Handicap. Unlikely visitors to Bllerslie to judge by the later nominations are Gascony, Silver Paper, White Fang, Nancy Lee, Arrow Lad, Goblin Market, Aspiring, Freehold, Gold Dawn, Hunting Boy, Leader, ' and Llanore. At least they do not figure in the entries for sprint events decided subsequent to the Railway Handicap. The proved sprinters on the contrary engaged throughout the meeting are: Paganelli, Cimabue, Silvermine, Havering, Lady Quex, Vallar, Great Star, Awarere, and Leitrim, while Polyxena, Refresher,. Royal Duke, Taku Tama, and Valuation are also consistent nominations. Some of those weighted for the Railway Handicap are engaged in middle distance races at the meeting. At this stage early backers of at least Nancy Lee and White Fang do not look to be on too sure ground, but the admirers of the fourteen named earlier, beginning with Paganelli, have had some encouragement. Not Loafers. A recent exchange from Adelaide • contains details of two horses who have not been allowed to eat the oats of idleness. The first is a three-year-old by Green Seal, in Bachelor Green. Last year as a two-year-old he started twenty-four times. He won four timer and was six times in minor places. This year already he has had seven races and up to eleven furlongs in handicaps. In addition he finished second to Hot Spring in the S.A. Derby. He has shown decided signs of sticking on well in his races. The other hard worker is a different type, the thirteen-year-old Barrier Gold, who recently ran his one hundred and fifty second race and won. He has contested all kinds of events on the flat and over obstacles. His last success was in an ■ amateur riders' event at an Adelaide suburban meeting. Australian Handicaps. - Weights have been issued for the Villiers Stakes and Summer Cup, the main events to be decided at the A.J.C. Christmas Meeting at Randwiek. Reonui, 9.7, is top-weight in the Villiers Stakes, one mile then coming Fuji San, 9^5, Commendation 9.4, Ramulus 9.2, Sion 9.2, and Margarethai 9.2. Crown Area has 8.11, Killarney (who beat Paganelli in Sydney) 8.9, White Fang 8.7, Raasay 8.2, and Gay Ballerina 8.1. Commendation is top-weight in the Summer Cup, one mile and five furlongs, witl 9.0, then coming The Banker 8.13. Papatv and White Fang have 8.4, and Raasay 7.12 It looks a weak field. Well In. The connections of that good hack Rich field have had a very cordial invitation t< attend the Waipa Meeting next Saturday In a not by any means strong field o hacks, Kiehfield has 8.10 in a race with i 7.7 minimum. In a much better class fiel< at Hawera nest week, Richfield is weight ed at 8.10 with a 7.0 minimum. At his lasl start at Riecaiton, Richfield over seven furlongs, the distance of the Te Awamutu event, carried 9.3, and was a very un lucky fourth from 23 at the barrier tc Vali 7.13, Blue Metal 8.2, Make Up 7.9 If Richfield is taken to the Waipa Meet ing, on handicaps it looks a punter's op portunity. Daughters of Valais (Imp.) Few horses to claim Valais (imp.) a* sire find their way to pony courses in Aus tralia. Those that were sent there are win ners, but the famous sire's progeny wen usually above this form. Two more wil be given a chance there, one, Modester among ponies; and the other, Vallota, ii all-heights company. Modester attractei attention at the last sales, but her smal size, kept many buyers silent, and she wa secured for 210 guineas. C. CRourke non has her in his stable, and a fourteen-twi certificate has been secured for her. Va] lota ias a different history. She is frou • Farinetta, a mare bred in England bu foaled in Australia. She was a good gal loper on A.R.C. courses, winning about ; dozen races. Valotta as a yearling wa rather attractive, but buyers would no advance beyond 500 guineas for her, figure that was only about one-half of th reserve placed on her by her owner. Cor sequently there was not a sale. Valot •was. given three starts as a late two-yeai old, but she failed to show form. Now sh will follow the footsteps of her dam, an if she is as good there will be no regret at grading her so low. Rossendale's Day. ' Four of the seven winners at the las A.J.C. Warwick Farm Meeting were sire by the St. Frusquin horse Rossendale, an in three instances rare determination ws displayed. The ball was set rolling b Rosendo, who showed a clean pair of bee to hia opponents from the outset in th Hbxton Park Nursery Handicap. Rosend is from the imported mare Royal Pet, an is a brother to Ramulus and Rampioi Black Douglas, from Tinkling, in tl: Three and Four Years Old Handicap, r< corded his third successive win, and Ra sin, from Dessert, followed up her Va roville Handicap success in the HorsU Handicap, in which she was only eight at the turn into the straight. The roy day was completed by Golden Music, fro: Golden 'Cello. He had a gruelling strugg with Cool Dan in the Leumeah Handiest and secured a short head verdict. In adc tion to .the foregoing Rossendale had oth prominent candidates. Century Tire finis ed third in the first division of the Maidi Handicap, and Homedale and Casque d'( were fourth in the Hoxton Park Nursei Handicap and the Horeley Handicap r spectively. Mora Imported Stock for Australia. When the Tekoona studmaster, Mr. ! $. Haley, Mb Australia several mtmtl

ago for England, he stated that ho -would be on a holiday tour principally, but there was a possibility that he might purchase thoroughbreds for his stud, Wimbledon, near Bathuyst. Mr. Haley obviously made very keen inspections, for he has secured the young sire Bullhead, as well as nine high-class English brood mares. Bullhead, who was foaled in 192G, is described as a typical Fhalaris horse that should make good iv Australia. Fhalaris is the sire of winners of nearly 240 races, and their stake earnings amount to approximately £240,000. His most notable winners were Fairway, Colorado, and Manna, and he has several sous here already at the stud. Bullhead comes of the same family as St. Simon, for his sixth dam is Adeline, the dam of five winners, including St. Angela, the dam of St. Simon and granddam of Orme. The brood mares are Gilded Princess, foaled in 1925, by Prince Galahad from Gilded Vanity; Argosette (same family as Carbine), foaled in 1927, by Argosy from Princess Sheila; Golden Elf (same family as St. Simon and Orme), foaled in 1926, by Golden Sun (son of Simdridge) from Gnome; Walewska, foaled in 1927, by Polyphontes from Smisk; Winkie, foaled in 1920, by Blink (son of Sunstar) from Sooth (half-sister to imported Pantheon); Lady Toi, foaled in 1925, by Sir Berkeley from San Agnes; Vallida, foaled in 1927, by Golden Myth from Valini; Jean's Lassie, foaled in 1927, by Spearwort (sou of Spearmint), from Jean Ainslie; and Melrosa (also of the same family as St. Simon and Orme), foaled in 1926, by Meleager from Rosa Bonheur. The horses were shipped in England on the Port Fairy in the middle of November, Results Tell. Mentone racecourse received, this spring, a tine advertisement for the quality of its training tracks. J. Holt, whose stables are situated at MordialJoc, brings his team .to the Mentone course and holds a very 'high opinion of the tracks there, of course with very good reason, when it is remembered that he has won more than 60 weight-for-age races and prepared there his Caulfield Cup winners Eurythmic, Maple, and High Syce. Mentone was much interested in the two-cups double this-year, as Nightmarch used that course for the final touches of his Melbourne Cup preparation. Mr. M. Brown, ranger of Mentone, has been in charge of Mentone since the opening of that course in ISSB. England's Grand National Problem. A cable message from England states that the "Daily Telegraph" reports that the authorities are considering, the question of reducing the entries for the Grand National Steeplechase to reasonable proportions, by confining the race to five-year-olds and upwards who have been placed in a steeplechase of three miles or more, worth £200, or in any steeplechase at Aintree, or who have won a steeplechase of the value of £500 or more on any course. The remarkable increase in the number of entries in recent years is due to the huge prize money. The ■winning owners in the last two years have received £11,255 and £12,925 respectively.